The Caledonia senior boys basketball team had a different weekend of games, Jan. 14-15.
Road conditions forced Smithers to cancel the weekend games. So, instead of taking the weekend off, the team called in previous Caledonia players to tip off against it in two matches.
The idea came from Caledonia’s principal, Cam MacKay, who said the team often rounds up its own competition.
“They are ex-players of mine, all college level players,” MacKay said. “There is quite a community of basketball players up here.”
According to MacKay, competition in Terrace can be hard to find for his AAA Senior Boys team, so it’s nice to have older players who can step in and offer a little variety for the team.
“They come out with the purpose of improving our guys,” MacKay said.
Next big event for the Kermodes is the upcoming match against Abbostford’s Robert Bateman Timberwolves on Feb. 5.
The Caledonia Kermodes and the Prince Rupert Rainmakers are sharing the cost of flying the team up to compete.
Paying for the flights to encourage a team to make the trek northward is not something that is new to Terrace, MacKay said.
He said it ends up costing the team less overall because it does not have to pay for hotels and other expenses incurred on a trip south. By sharing the costs of the flights with Rupert, the Kermodes lower their expenses even more.
“Money only goes so far,” said MacKay, who adds that it can get pretty expensive finding enough competition for the team within its budget.
According to MacKay, the Kermodes annually try to raise $30,000 a year to cover the costs of the team.
And it must pay off because the Kermodes are enjoying a strong season so far, with only one loss in the northwest.
MacKay said in many ways it is a rebuilding season for the team because of the high number of young players.
The season kicked off Dec. 4 in Prince Rupert against the Rainmakers with a 95-50 win.
The next weekend was an undefeated tournament at home for the Kermodes as the team took on Mount Elizabeth Secondary, Nechako Valley, Prince Rupert and Smithers.
The Kermodes travelled to Houston, Dec. 17 and 18 where they again went undefeated, this time 3-0.
The team suffered its first loss of the season against Smithers, Jan. 3, which it recovered from with an immediate win against Smithers that same afternoon.
The Kermodes also journeyed south, Jan. 6-8, to participate in a tournament in Abbotsford, where they placed eighth in a 12 team tournament.
During the tournament, they got a chance to play against the Fairfax Lions, a Los Angeles team, which is ranked in the top 25 for its level in the U.S.
